When's the Blogging Time?

I don't have a lot of blogging time today. I'm officially Buddy's mission companion until he gets to see the Stake President and gets released from his mission.

Can you believe that they don't actually build in daily blogging time to the standard missionary schedule? I don't really know how they're supposed to function without that. Probably has something to do with faith and the extra blessings of being a missionary.

Last night went GREAT. We had a fun homecoming at the airport, a wonderful family dinner, and then Buddy shared a spiritual message using a lot of the ASL he's learned. It was really wonderful.

After the girls went to bed we got a chance to talk and just reassure him that we're very proud of him and the difficult choices he's making, and as long as he feels like he's right with God, we're happy.


Things are good.


**Blogging while your companion is in the bathroom is an interesting way to limit your online time for the day.

Too Soon?

Ever since we moved into the house, The Brain has had his "office" in the basement. It's been a good place, because he's been able to really spread out. A lot. And when you're a computer guy, who pretty much lives and breathes computers at work AND in most of your spare time, you need a lot of room. You've gotta be able to network computers together so you can invite people over to play games. You've gotta have multiple places for pieces-parts of computers that people bring over to be looked at, not to mention the hundreds of CD's in various stages of burnedness (many of them originally for me and the kids). But it is cold down there. At least cold enough that 2 space heaters aren't really enough during the winter months.

So ever since we moved in, the plan was that once the kids started leaving the nest, he would move the office to the second floor, into one of the bedrooms.

Which I have been completely on board with, right?

Right.

And so the question now becomes, when?

When Buddy left for his mission, I was not interested in rearranging his room right away. The Brain, however, was ready and very interested in getting started immediately - if not sooner.

I proposed that we at least wait until the bed sheets were cold.

He wanted to avoid the beginnings of a shrine. (probably had a point there...)

And we got into a few testy discussions about whether or not it would be appropriate to completely obliterate all material things and memories that make up a child's existence rearrange a few things, so the space can be used by the people who umm, actually live here.

(And can you believe that during the discussions, it was implied that I was being kind of emotional? )
(I know, right?)

So the question is really not "Whether or not?" but more a matter of "When?"
Anybody have a thought?

I'm Not Gonna Lie...

It's been a couple of emotional days for me. And though it's embarrassing to be so emotional, I guess I am what I am. (Thanks for that quote, Popeye.) I'll get through it fine.

But I will tell you that it was quite possibly the hardest thing I have ever done. Ever.

I sat on the bed talking to Buddy the morning he left, and I realized that right then was probably the last time I would see my little boy. When he comes back he will be grown up, as he should be.

I think it's just hard to end pieces of your life. That piece of my life where all my kids live at home with us is over now. I wonder if I did it well enough, you know?
I'm not under any illusions that I'm the first parent to ever send my son out into the world to do something difficult. Sheesh, I guess I can be glad I wasn't David's mom right before he decided to take lunch to his brothers who were fighting the Philistines. Joseph and Lucy Smith had no picnic going on. And I'm pretty sure Abraham had a test that I could never have passed.

But as I sat in the missionary meeting, counting down the minutes, then seconds until I was going to have to really say good-bye, and not even hug him again for two whole years, it occurred to me that the only thing harder than having him go, would be NOT having him go.

This I can do. That might have done me in.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I know, right? Who isn't?

From here on out the next week should be pretty crazy. Houseguests, the cleaning that goes on before houseguests, packing, laundry that goes on before packing, then driving, and shopping, and bye-ing, and then more driving. Not to mention that I haven't even thought about what to serve at our little party on Saturday night. Nor shopped for it.

But we are proud, we're happy, and we're thrilled. (name it - 150 imaginary points)

And not having a traumatic weekend at all.

8 More Days

In 8 more days Ill be waving good-bye to my son for the next 2 years as he leaves to start his missionary service. We are - all of us - experiencing the multiple emotions you might expect. We're so excited for him! And we're really really going to miss him and miss having him be a regular part of our daily lives.

That's one thing they don't tell you about while they're encouraging you to work so hard to build a close knit family. Umm, they grow up and actually get lives of their own. And then they leave you. Which is really a lot better than if they stayed in your basement forever, but that break just seems counterintuitive - considering all the days I've spent having "forced family fun" encouraging our kids to spend time here - with us- for the past 20+ years.

But with his impending departure, I find my mothering instincts have kicked into overdrive. Nevermind that he has lived away from home for a year already. I've been dispensing sort of random information at the rate I think of it. And I can think pretty fast, people.

I'm sure it's starting to drive him nuts. Last night I knocked on his door to tell him goodnight, and also to tell him that eggs are a really great source of protein, that are pretty cheap and if you boil up a dozen of them, they'll keep in the fridge for like 2 weeks do you know how to boil eggs - let's just go over it real quick.
And he patiently stood there and listened while I described how to make hard boiled eggs for 5 or 10 minutes.

Before that it was a lecture on layering clothes. You know, because despite his being an Eagle scout, I'm sure he's never been on a campout in his life, and has never in all the time we've lived through Colorado winters, ever heard about layering clothes. I just keep thinking about how cold in those northern plains are. (A fact that I'm sure he has no concept of, having lived in Idaho last year and what not.)

This morning he's up, but hasn't come downstairs yet. (And seriously, can you blame him?) On my mental list of information to share:

• Brushing your teeth still works, even if you're out of toothpaste
• Since you type over 90 WPM, we expect your letters to have actual information about what you're doing and how things are going.
• Bacon can be frozen. You don't have to eat the whole package at once.
• Those "wrinkle free" shirts are only wrinkle free if you get them out of the dryer while they're still hot.

And hey, if you think of any sort of random "living on your own without being able to call home to ask a question" sort of advice that you think I may not have told him eleventy quillion times, toss it into the comments. I'm sure there are things I've forgotten, and I'll obviously rest easier knowing that there are hundreds of tens of minds working on this with me.

He's going to stay in his bedroom longer and longer every morning, isn't he?

The Waiting Game...

Well, the physicals are done, the interviews complete, and the paperwork was sent in 3 weeks ago. We are watching the mailbox every single day to find out where Buddy will be serving as a missionary for the LDS Church.

In the meantime, my brother came up with these guess maps. Fun, huh? Family members all got one guess in the USA, and one international.








Oh it's hard to wait!